Card-shuffler



C. T. HALL.

CARD SHUFFLER.

APPLlCATION FILED 1AN.22,192o.

Patented June 7, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

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CARD SHUFFLER.

APPLLCATION FILED 1AN.22.1920.

1,880,898. Patented June 7, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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CHARLES TRACY HALL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

CARD-SHUFFLER.

esoeee.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, CHARLES T. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Card-Shufllers, ofwhich .the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a card shufller'of the type shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,01 1,219 and No. 1,041,271,

granted t0 me January 9, 1912, and October 15, 1912, respectively.

The object of this invention is to improve the means whereby the cards are shuflled so that the shuffling operation is rendered somewhat erratic and causes successive shuffling operations to mix the cards differently and thus defeat any attempt to determine before-. hand the order of the cards in the deck after the same have been shuffled.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved card shutiier.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the shufiier.

Similar characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

10, 10 represent two upright longitudinal side walls or plates of metal which form part of the main frame and inclosu'res for the working parts of the machine, the side plates being preferably connected at their lower ends by a cross plate 11. Between the upper front parts of the side plates are arranged a plurality of supply pockets, preferably two in number, which are arranged one in front of the other as shown at 12, 13. Each ofthese pockets tapers downwardly and has an inlet at its upper end and an outlet at its lower end, the outlets of both pockets being separated from each other by an intervening space, and the adjacent walls of these Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 7, 31921.

Application filed January 22, 1920. Serial No. 353,380.

The opening and closing movement of the gates of the supply pockets may beeflected by any suitable means but preferably by the following mechanism:

19 represents a driving shaft journaled I the mechanism of a clock. This shaft and the motor associated therewith are locked against operation by a locking disk 21 secured to the driving shaft and provided in its periphery with a locking notch 22 and a looking dog or pawl 23 pivoted on a support and provided with a tooth 24: adapted to engage with said notch. The pawl is preferably mounted on a horizontal rock shaft 25 which is ournaled transversely in suitable bearings on the main frame and provided between ltsends with a cam rock arm 26 at its opposite ends outside of the side plates with upper' gate rock arms 27. Each of the latter is connected at a point near its fulcrum by a link 28 with the adjacent ends of the upper gates. Between the side plates of the main frame a snail cam 29 is arranged the periphery' of the same engaging a pin 30 on the arm 26 which is weighted and secured to the rock shaft 25.

Below the supply pockets is arranged a mixing pocket 32 having an upper inlet arranged belowthe outlets of the supply pockets and a lower outlet, the front side or wall 33 of this mixing pocket being preferably fixed and constructed of an inclined plate while the rear side or wall of this pocket is preferably constructed of a plurality of upright curved leaf springs 34 each of which has its upper end fixed and secured to a horizontal transverse bar 35 on the main frame while its lower end is free to move lengthwise of the machine toward and from the fixed wall 33.

The outlet of the mixing pocket is controlled'by a sliding gate or valve 36 having the form of a plate which is guided at its opposite ends in slots 37 formed in the side walls of the main frame. The movement of the mixing pocket gate is efiected by motion derived from the rock shaft 25, this being accomplished by means which comprise two upright rock levers 38 arranged adjacent to the lower parts of the outer sides of the frame walls, a rock shaft 39 journaled horizontally and transversely on the lower part of the mainframe in front of the mixing pocket and connected with the rock levers, a return weight lever 40 secured to the lower rock shaft 39 be tween its ends, pins 41 arranged on the upper arms of the levers, two intermediate links 42 -each pivotally connected at its rear end with a gate rock arm 27 at a greater distance from the fulcrum of the latter than the connection between the same and the upper gate links and each link 42 being also provided at its front end with a longitudinal slot 43 which receives the pin '41 of the adjacent rock lever, and two lower links 44 connecting the lower arms of the rock levers with ears 45 on opposite ends of the lower gate.

A box for gathering the cards after the same have been shuffled is arranged below the mixing pocket,-this box in its preferred form comprising a rounded bottom 46 adapt-I ed to'rest on the cross plate of the frame, inclined front and rear walls 47, 47, di verging upwardly from the front and rear ends of the bottom, inclined braces 48 extending downwardly from the upper ends of the walls of the box to the cross plate of the frame, and handles 49 arranged on the outer sides of the braces.

In the use of this shuflier the pack of cards is dropped over the two supply pockets so that the upper edge 14 of the dividing walls between the same causes part of the deck to be directed into one supply pocket and another part into the other supply pocket, this division being erratic owing to the uncertainty as to where the pack is divided. As the two sections of the deck of cards drop into the supply pockets the same are supported therein at their lower ends inasmuch as at this time the two sup.- ply gates are'completely closed. The operator now lifts the dog or latch 23 so as to free the locking disk and immediately the shaft 19 begins to turn in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 and when this shaft has made one complete turn the tooth of the dog again drops into the notch of the locking disk and stops the operation of the shuffling mechanism.

As the shaft 19 rotates the cam 29 gradually raises the cam arm 26 and rocks the shaft 25 and the gate arms 27 and during the first part of this movement the supply let end at this time by the mixing gate 36.-

As the cards drop successively into the mixing pocket the same are directed by the spring wall 34 toward. the fixed wall 33 and pile in an inclined position against the same.

During the first part of the opening movement of the supply gates-the mixing gate remains shut inasmuch as at this time the links 42 slide idly by means of their slot 'of the cards have been discharged from the supply pockets to the mixing pocket and from the latter to the gathering box in an indiscriminate manner. As the cards enter the gathering box some of them pile against one of its inclined walls 47 and others against the other inclined wall 47 so that when the cards are gathered in the box the 7 same will be assembled promiscuously and thoroughly shuffled and insure a subsequent fair deal ofthe same. The erratic piling of the cards in the mixing pocket and the gathering box is promoted by the action of the spring wall 34 which is deflected more or less when engaged by the cards and thus,

affects the position and direction of movement of the same. As the mixing gate is opened the weighted arm 40 is raised.

After the supply and mixing gates have been fully, opened and the cards have all been gathered in the box the notch 24 in the locking disk is engaged by the tooth of the dog 23, which arrests the rotationof the shaft, and at the same time the weighted cam arm 26 drops from high to low part of the cam 29, which causes the shaft 15 to be turned backwardly so that both supply pockets are closed. Simultaneously with this movement of the supply gates the mixing gate is returned to its closed position by the weighted arm 40, and the pins 41 are moved rearwardly in the slots 43, thereby completing the cycle of operations and leaving the machine in condition preparatory to effecting the next shuffling operation. The closing movement of the supply gates may be limited by the front ends of the slots 18 and that of the mixing gates by the rear ends of the slots 37, although any other suitable meansmay be provided for that purpose. The box or drawer may now be removed to render accessible the deck of cards which has been mixed or shuflled ready for dealing out to the players.

I claim as my invention:

1. A card shuliler comprising a plurality of supply pockets arranged one in front of the other and each having an inlet at its upper end, and an outlet at its lower end, a

plurality of sliding gates connected with each other and controlling said outlets, a rock shaft having rock arms at its opposite ends, and a cam arm intermediate of its ends, links connecting said rock arms with opposite ends of said slide valves, and a rotary cam engaging with said cam arm.

2. A card shufiier comprising a pocket having an inlet and an outlet, a sliding gate controlling said outlet, a rock shaft having a rock arm and a cam arm, a link connecting said rock arm and gate, and a rotary cam engaging said cam arm.

3. A card shuflier comprising a pocket one side of which is-constructed of a rigid inclined Wall and 'the other side being constructed of a plurality of upright leaf springs the upper ends of which are fixed while their lower ends are free to move toward and from said rigid wall, and a gate controlling the outlet at the lower end of said pocket.

4. A card shuflier comprising an upper supply pocket having an upper inletand a lower outlet, a lower mixing pocket having an upper inlet which is arranged below the outlet of said supply pocket and also having a lower outlet, an upper gate controlling the outlet of said supply pocket, a lower gate controlling the outlet of said mixing pocket, and means for operating said gates so that the upper gate uncovers the outlet of the supply pocket in advance of the opening of a the outlet of the mixing pocket by the lower gate, said means comprislng a rock shaft, a cam arm arranged on said shaft intermediate of its ends, a rotary cam engaging said cam arm, gate rock arms arranged at opposite ends of said rock shaft, upper links connecting said gate rock arms with said upper gate, intermediate rock levers each having an upper arm provided with a pin, intermediate links each connected at one end with one of the gate rock arms while its other end is provided with a slot which receives the pin on one of said intermediate levers, and lower links connecting the lower arms of saiduock lever with opposite ends of said lower gate.

5. A card shufiier' comprising an upper supply pocket having an upper inlet and a lower outlet, a lower mixing pocket having an upper inlet which is arranged below the outlet of said supply pocket and also having a lower outlet, an upper gate controlling the outlet of said supply pocket, a lower gate controlling the outlet of said mixing pocket, and means for operating said gates so that the upper gate uncovers the outlet of the supply pocket in advance of the opening of the outlet of the mixing pocket.- by the lower gate, said means comprising a rock shaft, a cam arm arranged on said shaft intermediate of its ends, a rotary cam engaging said cam arm, gate rock arms arranged at opposite ends of said rock shaft, upper links connecting said gate rock arms with said upper gate, intermediate rock levers each having an upper arm provided with a pin, intermediate links each connected at one end with one of the gate rock arms while its other end is provided with a slot which receives the pin on one of said intermediate levers, lower links connecting the lower arms of said rock levers with opposite ends of said lower gate, and a rock shaft connecting said levers and provided with a weight operating to turn the same in the diclosing said lower ate.

rection for CHARLES TRA Y HALL. 

